KIRTLAND, Ohio -- It was Monday afternoon and the Kirtland football team gathered in Tiger LaVerde's classroom.

On the walls were signs reading: DERIVATIVES OF TRIG FUNCTIONS and NUMBERS/PROPOSITIONS.

A video screen was pulled down over the blackboard, and the players were watching tape of Haviland Wayne Trace. The two teams will play Friday at 11 a.m. at Canton's Fawcett Stadium for the Division VI state title.

"You can't just be good this week -- you have to be great," said LaVerde.

The voice was calm, but clear. It's the same tone he sometimes uses in his five math classes each day, ranging from calculus to statistics. It's the voice that talks about the math function of SIN/COS, another sign on the wall.

"Defense, when the ball is in the air, you have only so many chances to get your hands on it," he said. "You have to make a play."

LaVerde is more of a teacher than a screamer. He gives his players information, helps them to understand what is important. He drills them on the basics.

"I have him for calculus, and he gives a quiz almost every day," said Sam Skiljan, the team's quarterback.

Not that this bothers Skiljan. The junior has a 4.3 grade point average and scored a 35 (out of a possible 36) the first time he took the ACT test.

His teammates sometimes call him "robot" or "genius."

Keep it simple

They have only six plays on offense, although there are several variations off each of them.

The Hornets often line up in a stacked-I formation.

Skiljan is under center.

Directly behind him is Erikc Guhde, a bruising blocker.

Then comes Adam Hess … 1,299 yards rushing this season.

Then comes Sam Kukura … 1,569 yards rushing this season.

Then come the Hornets putting out their stingers, running the ball right at you -- and daring you to stop them.

They have won 42 of their last 43 games, the only loss being in last year's Division V state title game.

"We don't want to have the same sick feeling as last year," said LaVerde near the end of the film session. "That would be hard to take."

A tight town

Every year, signs for the football team spring up alond Chillicothe Rd. (Rt. 306), in front of Kirtland High School. These are from 2012.Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer

Driving into Kirtland, you see the handmade signs.

ONE TOWN, ONE DREAM, ONE TEAM.

WELCOME TO THE HIVE!

SMALL TOWN, BIG HEART!

There are signs about the football team in store windows, signs on front lawns of houses, signs all over the schools.

Some are just a football helmet with number, indicating that a Hornet player lives there.

Kirtland is a town with a population of about 7,000. It's 22 miles east of Cleveland, five miles south of Lake Erie.

Yet it feels like a village.

"All of our grades -- K through 12-- are basically in one building," said LaVerde. "I think it's an advantage. Little kids see the football players wearing their jerseys on game day. The families, the students, everyone knows each other."

LaVerde mentioned how when the mother of sophomore end Jake Knox died, the family of senior lineman Canon Schroeder legally adopted Knox.

"People look out for each other in a place like this," said LaVerde.

The 18 regular starters have a combined 3.84 grade point average.

Assistant Dean Morrison has coached at several other schools before coming to Kirtland.

"This is different," he said. "We don't have big discipline problems. The kids do their homework. You tell them to show up at a certain time, they show up. It makes it easier to coach here."

"I had no idea how great it is to live here," said LaVerde. "My wife is from Mayfield. I grew up in Pennsylvania (Oil City) , and I was teaching at Franklin (Pa.) High. My wife wanted to move as close to Mayfield as possible. Kirtland had an opening for a football coach, I applied and got it (in 2006). The main reason I applied was my wife and it was close to her home town."

A football town

Kirtland quarterback junior Sam Skiljan scored a 35 out of a possible 36 the first time he took the ACT test. He also has 19 touchdown passes out of his 67 completions.Kyle Lanzer/Special to The Plain Dealer

Kirtland has 180 boys in 9th through 12th grades, and 73 of them are in the football program.

They not only have freshman, junior varsity and varsity teams -- but there are seventh grade and eighth grade teams. And lots of youth teams.

And all of them are running LaVerde's offense and defense, starting with Pee Wee football.

"You play with the same kids in the same system all through school," said Skiljan, who has 19 touchdowns out of his 67 completions.

Running backs Hess and Kukura are cousins.

Kukura's father (Dan) was the Kirtland coach before LaVerde. Dan Kukura was on the committee that recommended hiring LaVerde. Hess and Kukura have played on the same teams since they were 10.

It seems most Hornet players have deep Kirtland football roots.

"I started going to games on Friday nights … I don't know how old I was, it was that long ago," said Mike Cymbal, a 240-pound senior tackle. "I grew up wanting to play at Rogers Field."

It's a small stadium, a few rows of bleachers on each side of the field. The players helped paint them a few years ago.

"One of my former players (from Pennsylvania) drove through Kirtland and said he saw the junior high field next to the school and wondered where was the varsity field," said LaVerde. "I said that was the varsity field. It's small, but we like it."

Fans show up about 90 minutes before the game to hoping to find a place to sit down. The rest stand along the field.

"You run on to the field through the banner, the crowds cheer -- there's nothing like it," said Skiljan.

"We get better crowds at some of our away games than those teams do at home," said Cannon Schroeder, a 205-pound tackle. "I love all the (handmade) signs. I'm number 77 and it's cool when I see my number on one of them."

Deep roots

Kirtland's Mathew Finkler puts pressure on Bishop Ready's Matt Yoho. He is being recruited by several Big Ten schools such as Illinois and Penn State. Joshua Gunter/The Plain Dealer,

Furthermore, the Hornets are 55-2 when Loncar starts. The safety has six interceptions, a 3.9 GPA and scored 28 on the ACT test.

"I was a water boy for the (varsity) team when I was in elementary school," said Loncar. "I remember holding the helmet for (a player wearing) No. 10 when I was a little kid, and now I wear that number."

LaVerde said Loncar has a huge following of family and friends, "He'll have more than 40 at this (state title) game."

Most members of this team will either have their careers end after high school or play small college football.

But 240-pound junior linebacker/tight end Matthew Finkler is drawing attention from Big Ten schools such as Northwestern, Penn State and Illinois, along with most Mid-American Conference programs.

When the Hornets beat Columbus Bishop Ready 10-7 to reach the state finals, more than 25 former players were behind the bench cheering for the current team.

"Seeing those guys meant a lot to me," said LaVerde.

Brick by brick

Tiger and Mary LaVerde with their four children.John Kuntz/ The Plain Dealer

You can probably win a few bets even in Kirtland by asking for the real first name of the man called "Coach Tiger."

"It's Philip," said LaVerde. "Same as my dad. But it seemed I've always been called Tiger."

And this Tiger of a coach talks about building a team "brick by brick." You do it by lifting one weight, running one sprint, executing one drill at a time.

It's how two senior offensive linemen -- Ian Cosgrove and David Waren -- surprised the coaches by working so hard, they became starters for the first time this season.

LaVerde said Hauptman isn't the team's regular kicker. That's Jordan Ianiro. They both play soccer, and Ianiro convinced Hauptman to start practicing kicking for the football team.

"Jordan just wanted someone to work out with so he wouldn't be by himself," said LaVerde. "But when Jordan got hurt, Brad was ready. And he made the biggest kick of the year for us."

The Hornets haven't lost a regular season game since October 2, 2009 (20-10 to Cuyahoga Heights). They won the 2011 Division V state title, lost in the 2012 state finals. Until LaVerde arrived, Kirtland had never won a playoff game.

"I've had some interest from other schools, but I love it here," said LaVerde. "My room is right across from my wife's. My four kids are in this school system. I hate to move. This is where I want to be."

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